The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1887-08-18
APPALLING RAILROAD DISASTER!
ONEh ONE HUNDRED KILLED AND -FOUR
HUNDRED WOUNDED. -..
An Excursion Train Drops Through burning
Bridge7-cars Telescoped and Piled One
Upon Another--1he Disaster Believed
TO Have Been Deliberately

A"uuBc@-Cafs NeiescOped and Piled One
Upon AnotheT-The Disaster Believed
to Have Been Deliberately
Projected.
CHICAGO, August ia special to the
Chicago Times, from Forest, H., says: -
Last night an excursion train on the
Toledo, Peoria and Western railroad went
down with burning trestle, about three
miles east of Chatsworth, and over 100
eXcursionists killed and 409 or moro badly
injured. The train consisted Of six sleep
ers, six day coachesgnd chair cars, and had
on board $50 cXcHfSonists bound for Mag
ara Falls. TAep passengers hailed from va
rlous pointSfn central Illinois, the ma jorty,
however, coming from Peoria. The train
was se>heayy that two engines were en-,
ployed, and was an hour aud half behind
,time when It passed this place.
ChattswOrth, the next station cast Of
here, is six miles off, and the run there was
made in seven minutes.
Three miles from Chattsworth is q little
slough, and where the railroad crosses Il
dry run about ten feet deep and gftcCn feet
wide. Over this was stretched an ordinary
railroad trestlc, and rs the train came thun-
dcriug down on it, what was the horror OF
the engineer on the front engine when he
discovered the bridge was burning! There
was no chance to stop, and the next instant
he was on it. But he went over safely, the
first engine keeping the rails. AS it passed
over the structure lrll, and the next engine
went down. Car crashed into car coaches
piled upon each other, and in less than two
minutes nearly one hundred were crushed
TO death and many more died shortly after
The wounded were to DC seen in every di-
rcction. Only the sleeping coacho escaped,
and as the startled and half f-dressCd paSscn-
gers came tumbling out Of them they found
such scene of death as is rarely Witnessed,
and such work to do that it seemed us hu-
man hands were utterly incapable. 1t was
five minutes OF midnight. Down in the
ditch lay Second Engineer McClintock
dead and Fireman Applcgatc badly injured.
On top were piled three baggage cars. one
coaches. They were tClcsCopCd rs cars
never were before, and three OF them were
pressed into the space Of one. The second
car had mounted of its trucks, crashed
through the car head, crushing the wood
aside like tindcr, and lay there, resting on
top of the seats, where every passenger in
the front car was lying dead oGNdying I'M
dcrncath Out of that car but TOur people
came alive. On top Of the second car lay
the third, smcarcd with the blood Of its
victims. The other three cars were broken
and twisted in every conceivable way, and
every crushed timber and beam represented
4 crushed human frame and broken bone
The mir was filled with cries and ShriCkS of
agony, and above all could be heard the
agonizing cries Of little children, as in some
instances they lay pinutd beside their dead
parents. The bridge was still burning.
and the cars were lying on and around the
ficrccly burning cmhrrS. Everywhere in
the wreck were women and children whose
lives could be saved if they could be got
ten out, but whose death in Il most horrible
form was certain if the twisted wood of
the wreck caught There was not Il drop
OF water with which to fight the fire
Only some fifty able bodied men, who still
had presence of mind and nerve uHuuwh to
do their duty The only light was that of
the burning bridge, and with It's aid these
brave men fought with desperation for
four hours. Earth was the only weapon
with which to fight, and m effort was
made to smother it, There was no pick or
shovel to be had, and nothing to carry the
dirt with, but in their desperation they dug
their fingers into the hard, dry earth built
earthwOrks, handful by handful, and lnus
kept back the foe. While this was goiuu
on other courageous men Crept under the
wreck beneath the fire and wooden bars
which held rs prisoners SO many precious
lives, and with pieces Of boards and some
times their hands beat back the flames An
unfortunate being, who WAS pinned down
by heavy beam, looked on hclplcssly
while it seemed as if his death 10y fire was
certain. While Tie fight was thus uOinu
on the ears of tic workers were filled with
the grOans of dying men, the anguishc,i
CntrCiuiCS OF those whose death seemed Ger
tain unless the terrible blaze could be c.
tinguishcd. Some Of the unfurumutCs dug
up the earth with their own hands, reckless
OF The blood streaming from the ends OF
their fingers, and hcapcd it up in mounds,
to help subduc the fire, while all thcl time
could be heard hrarlrcndlmg cries, "For
Gods sake, don't let us burn to dcathI
Finally, about dayhlcuk, the fire was cN-
unguiShrd. Help came from Chuttswurth
Forest and Piper rCili,S, and us the dead were
lald alongside of Ca;u other ont in a corn
held, there were ready hands to take them
INTO ChattSwOrth, while some Of the
Woundcp were carried to Piper city. One
hundred and eighteen WAS the awful poll
OF the dead, while the wounded number
lour times is many.
When news Of the disaster was first sent
over the wires prompt aid was Mt once sent
Before O'Clock in the morning. there were
plenty Of people TO do the work that needed
such prompt attention.
The town hall was improviscd into hos
pital. The entire capacity Of the little vii
IAgc was taxed, and kind d,hcartcd women
drove in from miles around to give their
gentle mnistrations to the sufferers.
No sooner had the wreck occurred than
scene OF robbery commenced MiScrc,
ants were on hand who plundcrcd the
dead, taking even the shoes which covered
their feet. who these WrctChcs are is not
known. Whether they were band of pick
pockets who accompanied the train or n
robbcr gang who was lurking in the viCini-
ty cannot DC said. a horrible SUSPICION
exists that the accident was II Deliberately
planned case of train wrcckng; that the
bridge was set on fire by miscrcants who
hoped to seize the opportunity offered. The
robbers went into the cars when the fire
was burning tierccly underneath, and when
The poor creatures who were pinned there
begged them for help, stripped them of
their watches and jcwclry an4 searched
their pockets 70: money. When the dead
bodies were laid in the corn field the rob.
bers turned them over in search Of valua-
bles. That plunder was done by IN organ.
lzed gang was proven by the fact that six
teen purses, all empty, were found in heap
in the field. Had the plundcrcrs been
caught they would have been lynchcd.
a Mathematical VOnIcr.